Player News – Page 18 – FantasySP Blog

Minutes Rising- Amir Johnson

Amir Johnson’s minutes and fantasy numbers are finally starting to pick up after a weak January/February.

Analysis: Amir Johnson has played at least thirty minutes per game in his last three contests. He did not hit the thirty minute mark in his previous nine games. Johnson continues to battle injuries but we cannot deny that his stat line has been healthy as of late. Amir is averaging 8 rebounds, 10 points and 1 block over the last week and a half. His rebounding and blocks can be more than solid as evidenced by his December marks of 8.3 boards per game and 1.4 blocks per game. Interestingly enough he averaged over thirty minutes in the month of December and was relatively healthy.

Patrick Patterson’s minutes have been falling for the last three weeks which is contributing to the Amir Johnson resurgence. Patterson has not been shooting well lately, he’s 13 for his last 39 from the field. Patterson is still rebounding well but he poses very little threat to Amir Johnson’s fantasy value at the moment.

Amir Johnson is available in 20-50% of fantasy leagues.

Stock Falling- Channing Frye

The Suns have been playing some solid basketball as of late but Channing Frye continues to struggle.

Analysis: Channing Frye is the 19th rated fantasy power forward this season but over the last month he is the 34th rated power forward. Frye is averaging just 6.8 points per game, 3.8 rebounds and is shooting 35% from the field in his last five games. Considering the Suns are deep at the four this is not the time to be struggling.

There are still a few positives. Frye is hitting 2.2 threes per game this year and he still managed to hit 2.0 threes per game in the month of February. Channing Frye is second behind Kevin Love among power forwards in threes made this season. Frye is also a top 20 fantasy power forward in steals, blocks and free throw percentage, all of which he is not struggling with at the moment. His minutes and numbers certainly need monitoring in the immediate future and here is why- Markieff Morris is averaging the same amount of minutes as Frye over the last month but Frye’s minutes have been falling over the last two weeks.

Channing Frye is available in 15-25% of fantasy leagues.

Last Call On Kawhi

Kawhi Leonard has been back in action for two games now after missing over a month with a hand injury.

Analysis: It appears that nothing has changed with Kawhi’s game since the injury. Through two games he posting 13.5 points, 7.0 boards and 2.5 steals. Kawhi’s minutes are back to normal in the 28-30 per game range and his overall fantasy game is consistent and well-rounded this season. In 43 games thus far Leonard is averaging 1.7 steals, 6.1 rebounds, 0.8 threes made and he’s shooting 51% from the field.

As a lower tier fantasy small forward/shooting guard his game does not have any weaknesses save the lack of field goal attempts. Leonard ranks 13th among small forwards in rebounds, 3rd in steals, 4th in field goal percentage and 14th in blocks. There is not much of a debate here- he is a universal must own.

Currently, Kawhi Leonard is available in 2-10% of fantasy leagues. The Spurs have the Mavs, Cavs, Heat and Magic this coming week. This is the last call for Kawhi Leonard.

Deep League Help- Carter

Vince Carter may be thirty-seven years old but he is still filling up the stat sheet.

Analysis: Carter has been on fire over the last five games. In that span he’s averaging 3.2 threes made, 16.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.4 steals. His minutes remain in the mid-twenties so we can officially declare a prolonged hot streak. In the month of February he ranked as the 17th best fantasy shooting guard and the 17th best fantasy small forward. That is a pretty big leap considering he is outside the top 25 for his positions this season.

The three ball remains Carter’s biggest asset. He averaged 2.0 threes made per game last month and this year he is 13th in threes made among shooting guards. At thirty-seven years old Vince is 8th in the NBA among shooting guards in blocks per game(0.4), it isn’t much but everything can help.

He may not put up twenty-plus points each night but he is contributing in all fantasy categories. Currently, Vince Carter is available in 50-80% of fantasy leagues. Carter has the Spurs on Sunday, the Nuggets on Wednesday and the Blazers on Friday.

Solid Debut For Turner

Evan Turner made his Indiana Pacer debut Tuesday night in a win over the Lakers.

Analysis: Turner notched 13 points on 6 of 12 shooting, he also recorded 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal. Turner is coming off the bench but he was on the end of 26 minutes of floor time. Turner was putting up 17.4 PPG and 6.0 RPG in 35 minutes per night as a starter in Philly. If he can stay above 25 minutes or so he will remain a must own fantasy shooting guard/small forward.

Before Evan Turner even had a chance to suit up for the Pacers he was already being dropped in a significant amount of leagues. Yes, he’s weak in threes but he’s getting to the line a ton this year and his steals and assists are also up. Keep in mind that the Pacers don’t have any solid options at the two or three coming off the bench. It’s also a positive sign that Turner logged 26 minutes in his debut because Danny Granger logged more than 26 minutes just once in his final 15 games as a Pacer.

Currently, Turner is available in 2-7% of fantasy leagues.